Martin Atomics add new dimension
Greg Butt, GRB Lighting’s production manager, has just returned from an exhausting – yet exhilarating – seven week tour of the nation with Gyroscope and Shihad. Sharing the trip were his latest acquisitions; four Martin Atomic Strobes with Colour scrollers.
“The Atomics were absolutely amazing, said Greg. “We did thirty-six shows in seven weeks and they never let me down. They really are my favourite new toy. They add an extra element of excitement to the show especially when you use the spiking with the colours. The colours are brilliant and so intense adding a whole new dimension to the lighting.”
Greg also used some Studio Due CS4’s in his rig but unfortunately he used another brand of moving light. However he is now in the process of discarding these fixtures and is purchasing an entire new moving light rig of Martin MACs in anticipation of another national tour with a top Australian band.
www.showtech.com.au

Show Technology win International Award for the second year in a row
Show Technology has been presented with a prestigious Martin Distributor Award winning the Best Marketing Award for the second year in a row.
Just prior to PLASA, Martin Professional presented a number of accolades to its top performing distributors at a special dinner and awards banquet held at London’s Maroush V restaurant. Soren Storm presented the award to Emmanuel Ziino, Managing Director, and Paul Nicolaou, Victorian Branch Manager.
“For years now Show Technology has shown all around exceptional performance in marketing as well as great support of HQ’s marketing objectives,” said Christian Engsted, Martin Professional CEO. “From their website to their Proshop magazine and newsletters, they are always up to date with their communication, and no distributor exemplifies the power of PR like this one with inspiring case stories with good quality photography and content that help us share their success stories worldwide. Show Technology is a valuable and exemplary partner and we are proud to present them the accolade for Best Marketing for the second year in a row.”
Emmanuel Ziino was very gracious in his acceptance of the award stating that it wasn’t difficult to market the world’s leading brand of lighting equipment!
“Martin continuously develops awesome, reliable products that the market always seems to want,” he said. “Their products are so popular in Australia we never have any shortage of clients willing to say fabulous things about them and there are always plenty of productions and projects in motion that rely on Martin lighting. I am very proud to accept this award especially as it’s the second year in a row which is no mean feat.”
The key to Show Technology’s marketing is that they always have their finger on the pulse; they know where their products are going and what they are going to be doing. This is due to the close involvement that their staff has with their client base, always there to answer questions and offer advice.
“Mark McInnes, our National Sales & Marketing Manager, does a great job keeping track of all the projects using Martin,” commented Emmanuel. “He then feeds the leads to our roving PR person Cat Strom who is very persistent when it comes to getting the story!”
Emmanuel also notes that Luca Sellarulo, Sales & Marketing Support, has done a fantastic job making sure that their clients know about all of the latest Martin products as well as keeping the web site fresh and informative.
Whenever there’s a Martin product stealing the show, you can be assured that Show Technology are already writing the report and taking the photos.
www.showtech.com.au

An Innovative Console for an Innovative Company
Jeremy Koch, managing director of Innovative Production Services, was looking for a lighting control solution that he could foresee using in the long term (rather than a shortterm dead end purchase) and one with a solid support system. His wishes were answered by the Jands Vista S3, the compact version of Jands’ revolutionary Vista Lighting Control System that puts all the fabulous features of the full-scale console into a desk you can fit under your arm.
“Local support was very important,” commented Jeremy. “Immediately we were led to the Vista and then we had to choose which solution was the most cost effective for us in the short term whilst also giving us a platform on which we could build upon in the future.”
Jeremy reports that the Vista S3 is an extremely easy to use lighting console despite describing it as very different. He favours the Vista S3’s compact size which is perfect for the many corporate events that Innovative cater to.
“As far as the operating system of the console is concerned I would call the Vista the Macintosh of the lighting console world,” he claimed. “At the end of the day, all lighting consoles – whether it is a Hog, grandMa or Vista – are all doing the same thing: controlling lights and spitting out DMX512. I was looking for something that was innovative and different which went along with our company philosophy. The Vista ticked all the boxes particularly as far as the confidence I gained from talking with the development team at Jands about future features that will be implemented in the continuous development of the product”.
www.jands.com.au

Showcorp keep a step ahead with ArKaos Media Server
With the ever increasing convergence between the visual mediums of lighting and video for a myriad of live events, it’s becoming essential for event specialists to be able to deliver the latest in this technology to their clientele.
One company keen to keep one step ahead of the crowd is The Showcorp Group who specialize in interpretive theming, creative staging, advanced technical production and faultless presentation. After extensive research into what was available, Managing Director Colin Baldwin opted for an ArKaos Media Server. The ArKaos Media Server system allows for either a self build hardware setup or such in this case of the Showcorp system, Show Technology came to the aid to build a complete hardware setup tailored to the requirements that Colin had specified.
“The ArKaos Media Server was recommend to me by Andrew Winslade of Show Technology as the most practical and affordable solution for our new soft LED backdrop,” remarked Colin. “The system is easy to operate and works perfectly every time. ArKaos is a good quality, medium-priced digital media server solution with plenty of flexible control options. It was exactly what we were looking for in terms of dynamics and cost-effectiveness.”
That’s the beauty of the ArKaos system and the Show Technology built media servers; they can be easily tailored to your pricing versus performance requirements.
Pictured is the ArKaos producing the icon glasses of Buddy Holly in spectacular fashion at the launch of Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story which opens next year at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre.
www.showtech.com.au

Successful return to PLASA for Selecon in 2008
Selecon exhibited at the recent PLASA Tradeshow in London and after being absent from the show floor for the past four years there were new faces, a raft of new product and a new logo for visitors to meet and see as well as the full product line of theatrical and specialised display lighting.
"We decided to attend this year to meet our many new customers from the far flung regions of Continental Europe, and we were successful in reaching these important new contacts. Attendees from Russia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bulgaria and Israel together with our dealers from the UK visited the Selecon stand where we showed the latest new products released this year,” explains Michael Goldberg, Selecon’s European Sales & Marketing Director.
These new products included the high frequency, variable voltage 80V Direct DMX Power Supply which supplies 80V to energy efficient 1200W lamps for the Pacific range and the Rama 175 High Performance Fresnel. The resulting light is bright and white with the output of, or near to an equivalent 2.0/2.5kW mains voltage luminaire - save energy, both power and people with these smaller and lighter units!
Visitors with an interest in specialised display were able to get their hands on Selecon’s latest addition to the architectural line – the small, slim-line Wing range of Wall Washer Floods which offer the choice of traditional tungsten halogen light sources as well as the latest in energy saving high quality metal halide and fluorescent lamps.
Photo: seated left to right - Thorsten Sattler, Selecon Germany; Ritchie Reed, Selecon UK; Rainer Weggen, Selecon Germany and Michael Goldberg standing between Thorsten and Ritchie.
For more on the comprehensive range of Selecon performance lighting www.seleconlight.com

Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 Wins the Award for Innovation at Plasa 2008
There has been an atmosphere of great satisfaction at Clay Paky for many months now for having succeeded in designing a product that is unique, unrivalled and without direct competitors, capable of filling a gap in live entertainment.
The Lighting Designers noticed the difference and immediately identified Clay Paky's newest product as a creative and innovative tool for their work, specifying it for some of the most important international projects.
The Rental Companies noticed the difference and immediately welcomed the innovative nature of the solution and appreciated the extraordinary performance features of the Alpha Beam 300, purchasing many units and enabling Clay Paky to dedicate complete production lines exclusively to this product, to meet the countless requests received from all over the world.
Only the official acknowledgement was missing, which was not long in arriving: ALPHA BEAM 300 won the Award for Innovation at the Plasa 2008 event held in London on Monday evening on the 8th September.
The acknowledgement was assigned to Mr. Enrico Caironi of Clay Paky. Mr. Matthew Griffiths, Managing Director of Plasa, said that “The judges were impressed by this amalgamation of existing technologies which has created a new tool for lighting designers, offering greater versatility and flexibility”.
Mr Pasquale Quadri, President of Clay Paky, told us: “We are very proud of this award: it confirms that Alpha Beam 300 was exactly the solution that was missing in the world of live entertainment. The on-going contact with lighting designers and all the qualified operators of the sector was a key factor”.
Innovative and complete, compact, service friendly and easy to install and use, ALPHA BEAM 300 is the ideal Moving Light Beam for “live” professional use especially “long throw” to cut through the brightness of stage washes or LED backgrounds, with Aircraft Landing light effects never seen before.
Alpha Beam 300 is very powerful and eco-friendly: thanks to the new special Clay Paky optical group, it is 3 times brighter than an ordinary 1200W wash projector, with the energy consumption of a 300W light bulb. This enables it to be used instead of considerably larger projectors, with enormous savings in energy.
The Aperture and graphics of the “tube of light” can be decided at will by using the 8 fixed gobos available, while a linear frost can be used to pass from a narrow hard beam to a more or less soft one. CMY colour mixing and a colour wheel (8+1) allow the light beam to be coloured at will. A Dimmer on a dedicated channel, stop/strobe and high speed Pan/Tilt complete the ALPHA BEAM 300 configuration.
A number of comments made by lighting designers, rental company managers and operators of the sector that have specified, installed and used Alpha Beam 300 are mentioned below.
LD Giovanni Pinna (Vasco Rossi tour): “the 45 Alpha Beam 300 are the special features of the tour, these are really spectacular products, I saw them three months ago and I fell in love with them: this is a projector that you see and recognise, something really special”.
LD Marco Policastro (“Mary of Nazareth” musical at the Vatican): “ I have always adored the ACLs, and this is the spotlight that is very similar to that type of light, providing in addition, rapid movement. The product is very luminous, versatile, lightweight, adapts to any space and in hundreds of different situations: it is the product that was missing!”
Baz Halpin (LD for the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour and for the Tina Turner tour): "I chose the Alpha Beam 300 for Tina Turner and Queen + Paul Rodgers because of their low power consumption, unparalled output compared to anything else in its class. I was most impressed by their reliability, speed and effectiveness. They are light, bright and pack a powerful punch. I love them".
www.lighthousedistribution.com.au

2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation announced
The 2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation, announced in a special presentation ceremony at the PLASA Show in London, continued the recent trend towards a huge diversity of product nominations, ranging from major lighting, audio and video showstoppers to the less glamorous, but equally essential, tools of the trade.
Over 65 products were put forward this year, all of which were showcased in a stunning new Innovation Gallery, linking Earls Court 1 and 2.
Chosen by a panel of independent judges drawn from across the industry, seven Silver Awards were presented by PLASA Chairman Rob Lingfield to:
Goboland (Stand F31) for their Black Steel Gobo. The judges felt that this product would enhance an established technology and allow designers a greater range of creative possibilities.
Neutrik (Stand K33) for their convertCON. With convertCON, Neutrik has demonstrated that it's possible to innovate within existing defined standards. The judges praised the elegance of the product's ability to slip from one 'sex' to another in a single twist.
Display LED Screens (Stand E61) for their digiFLEX. The judges were impressed by this first flexible LED display solution. The clever rubberised design lends itself to new applications and adds a new dimension to display technologies.
Clay Paky (Stand E47) for their Alpha Beam 300. The judges were impressed by this amalgamation of existing technologies which has created a new tool for lighting designers, offering greater versatility and flexibility.
JB-lighting Lichtanlagentechnik (Stand C83) for their VaryLED A7 Zoom. This new luminaire found favour with the judges as the first moving LED fixture with a zoom function entered into the Awards, heralding a new era that has added depth to LED functionality.
Eilon Engineering (Stand L76) for their Ron StageMaster. Using this company's proven wireless load cell technology with a new software application has allowed those involved in rigging to enhance safety and to remotely monitor changes to the loading on structures.
Global Design Solutions (Stand F79) for their MOBAL 19 Pin Pro tester. Over the years socapex testers have come and gone, but this new development looks set to become an industry standard. The judges found this product simple to use and particularly liked its informative LED display.
The first ever Gold Award went to the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stand G81) for their RSC LightLock. Borne out of a necessity to reduce time and labour during lighting set-up, this is a product that the judges felt demonstrated true innovation in removing the oscillation of truss sections or other lightweight suspension points caused by the rotation of moving lights.
The Environmental Award - which seeks to recognise a product or company that has taken significant steps to minimise the environmental impact of their activities - was presented to Proteus Display (Stand E89) for their new reflective LCD Proteus Display.
This product is an interesting new development of existing technologies giving designers a new tool packaged in an elegant manner. In a climate of increasing energy costs, this is an important carbon offset initiatives enabling users to buy a carbon neutral product.
The Awards Ceremony also gave profile to PLASA's strengthening industry skills initiatives and featured a brief presentation from Live Nation's CEO Paul Latham, the newly-appointed chair of the National Skills Academy, who encouraged the industry to support this major new project.
He then went on to present the monies raised from the Awards nomination fees to this year's specially chosen charities - the National Student Drama Festival, an annual event held in Scarborough, and SABA UK, an arts charity that provides performance and educational opportunities for young people in the live music and performing arts industries.
Matthew Griffiths, MD of PLASA, who hosted the ceremony, commented: "The PLASA Awards are the industry's touchstone for creativity and innovation - the qualities on which our industry was founded and continues to thrive - and we are delighted to give real focus to the impressive range of new technologies coming to the market."

ULA at Chameleon Open day
ULA were on board to support Chameleon Touring Systems Open Day this August, presenting the latest in LED solutions!
On display were the latest in high powered LED fixtures from Robe and iLED. Also on hand, were the ever popular SGM Palco 5’s, E:Cue Fader Unit and Butler and the Le Maitre LSG machine.
Released in June of this year, the Robe RED Wash series of fixtures is based upon RED Technology (Robe Emitted Diodes) and features Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Featured at the Open Day was the RED Wash 3•192, Robe’s new powerful moving head Wash Light featuring RGBW, and utilising 192 Luxeon Rebel LEDs to produce variable optics and output comparable to a 1200 wash fixture. The REDWash 3•192 provides a rectangular light field with a narrow beam spread. Unlike often seen similar effects this fixture provides a unique and fresh approach to concert touring, TV and Event Lighting applications.
The latest release products from iLED were also on demo at the Chameleon open day, including the Pixel LED 80, ParLite 18, and the ColorBank 54. The iLED range of products offers innovative LED solutions for the production, touring, installation and architectural lighting industries, with exceptional output, precision optics and saturated full color. With the second release of the iLED range this July, these fixtures have been in high demand and are now an essential component of major rental inventories across the country.
ULA’s technical specialist, Jesse Radatti, was on hand at the Chameleon open day, and comments “It’s great to take the product out to the market. Especially innovative new products like the Robe RED Wash. This fixture attracted a lot of attention on the day, because it is a little bit different and opens up a whole range of different applications for a LED wash fixture”.
www.ulagroup.com

Logan Entertainment Centre chooses Robert Juliat
The Logan Entertainment Centre, located midway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, hosts a variety of events each year, ranging from theatre shows and concerts through to exhibitions, school productions, markets and award dinners.
The venue has recently replaced all of their aging lighting on their two front of house bars with six Robert Juliat 310 fresnels, with PC lenses, and nine Robert Juliat Lutins, all supplied by The Production Shop.
“We had a bunch of old fixtures from another manufacturer but they really weren’t punchy enough and weren’t quite doing the job they were supposed to,” remarked Darren McBride, Logan’s Acting Technical Supervisor. “We were having trouble with reflectors and focus mechanisms etc, so we decided to replace them and if we were going to spend the money, we may as well have the best. As a result we now have a fantastic array of Robert Juliat fixtures.
The Robert Juliat fixtures have replaced most of the colour wash as well, which was previously achieved by a basic par can two colour wash.
“The PCs are far more versatile,” said Darren. “We can use them for specials, fill lighting and all sorts of stuff now. Having these fixtures has enormously improved the venue.
“Both Robert Juliat models are doing a great job and I’m really happy with them. They give a nice even light, very flat and plain. They really are a joy to work with - the focus mechanism, the barn doors and that whole system is just really good.”
www.showtech.com.au

Four Years’ Worth of New Product from Selecon!
Selecon Performance Lighting is back at PLASA! Since last exhibiting in 2003 Selecon’s commitment to consistent and innovative product development has seen the re-development of a few old favourites and the introduction of several new luminaires building on an already comprehensive theatrical and architectural display range.
Visit the Selecon Booth E103 at PLASA 08 to see Selecon’s full product line of leading performance luminaires which includes the Acclaim, Rama and Arena Fresnels and PCs; the world’s largest range of ellipsoidals as represented by the unique Pacific range; Hui, Lui and Aurora Cyc / Floods and the very bright Performer range of Followspots.
Check out the performance of the new high frequency, variable voltage 80V Direct DMX Power Supply which supplies 80V to energy efficient 1200W lamps for the Pacific range and the Rama 175 High Performance Fresnel resulting in bright white light with the output of, or near to an equivalent 2.0/2.5kW mains voltage luminaire. Save energy, both from the power grid and of the technical team with these smaller and lighter luminaires.
The Wing range of Wall Washer Floods is Selecon’s latest addition to their specialised display lighting range. A single slim-line body design offers the choice of traditional tungsten halogen light sources as well as the latest in energy saving high quality metal halide and fluorescent lamps. Precision lock off, reference scales and effective heat management delivers the performance required by museums, art galleries wherever high quality display lighting is required.
The Selecon team looks forward to welcoming you to Stand E 103 in the second hall.
www.seleconlight.com

Chameleon changes colour
He may have turned a few naïve lighting technicians white in his day but now Tony Davies, managing director of Chameleon Touring Systems, is turning his attention to turning Martin white. We’re talking about Martin MACs of course. In fact Chameleon revealed their white powder coated MAC700’s at their recent Open Day and the response from the lighting rental market was very positive.
Always quick to spot a gap in the lighting rental market, Tony reports that the white MACs have received bookings and lots of interest since their unveiling. In fact the white MAC700’s are just about to be used on the Myer Spring/Summer fashion launch designed by Mark Hammer.
“I think there’s a lot of interest in a non-black moving light particularly in the corporate market,” he commented. “In fact we are looking at a couple of other colours too, maybe gold and silver.”
www.showtech.com.au

PLASA Puts Sustainability Centre Stage
Recent months have seen a landmark development for the events industry with the arrival of BS 8901, a major new standard set to radically transform the events landscape.
Launched at the end of last year and currently going through a series of pilot trials, BS 8901 specifies the requirements for a sustainable event management system. It encompasses all events, from large-scale tours and unique events such as the 2012 Olympics, to music festivals and amateur sporting events. It will take no prisoners, applying throughout the industry supply chain to venues, organising companies and industry suppliers and contractors.
Major event clients such as the London 2012 Organising Committee and the Greater London Authority are already referring to BS 8901 in their tenders. Corporate clients are expected to follow as they work to ensure their own sustainability policies are being implemented throughout their organisations. In addition, event attendees and delegates are becoming increasingly aware of the need to address sustainability. Consequently, this new standard will soon become a minimum requirement to do business in the events industry. Like risk management and health and safety before, it will eventually become part of the way the event industry operates.
PLASA, the main professional body for the sector, has taken a lead on this issue and developed a cost-effective programme specifically geared to help its members implement BS 8901. The programme has been developed in partnership with the Sustainable Events Group and is based around a series of educational workshops supplemented by in-the-field support. SEG were involved in writing the standard and are currently piloting its implementation with a number of major venues and event organisers, including PLASA Events.
The PLASA BS 8901 programme - currently the only programme of its kind in the world - will enable PLASA Members to get ahead of the rest of the industry and to take a leadership position on the sustainability agenda. In addition, as BS 8901 is up for review at the end of 2008, the BS 8901 programme will enable members to have a direct say in the structure and content of the revised standard.
Independent third party certification to the standard is likely to become increasingly important. Third party certification provides credibility and will be a significant advantage as event clients choose to work with organisations that are genuinely capable of improving the sustainability of events. Achieving certification to BS 8901 will therefore provide a competitive edge as event clients become more discerning.
The PLASA programme also includes certification to the standard. Members participating in the programme therefore have the opportunity to be amongst the first to achieve independent certification to BS 8901.
Ruth Rossington of PLASA commented: "Industry is increasingly being challenged to carry out its business in a more sustainable manner. Today, the majority of companies acknowledge that the management of sustainability issues is fundamental to the long-term success of their organisations. By adopting this standard the events industry has the opportunity to lead the world in addressing the sustainability issues facing us all today."
For more on BS8901, see the September 2008 issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine - now available FREE, worldwide, in Digital format.

Show Technology’s Hot Reveals at Chameleon
Yet again the Australian lighting community were amongst the first to see ground-breaking new lighting gear, thanks to Show Technology. Revealed at Chameleon Touring Systems Open Day were two hotly anticipated products: the Martin MAC III and the MA Lighting grandMA2.
Due to be officially launched at this years’ PLASA tradeshow, both of these products are expected to be in high demand and will no doubt be snapped up as they roll off the manufacturing line.
The MAC III is the all new third generation of the Martin MAC moving heads and represents a giant leap in technology from recent products. This new flagship has innovative technology (most of which is being kept under wraps until the official release at PLASA in September) but we can divulge a few things including a new specially designed 1500W lamp; modular design; data communication (bi-directional); diagnostics tools; new dynamic effects; ultra wide zoom; quick speed and much more. The new MAC III will change the way lighting designers use moving heads.
“I thought the MAC III was great!” remarked lighting designer Mark Hammer after the event. “Like most lighting people I’m a bit of an output fan and it seems to be ramping up the output. The zoom range looks fantastic and it also looked great.”
“I was really excited by the maintenance system that Martin has built into the MAC III,” added Dave Jackson, of Group Services Productions. “The ability to download and store calibrations and such is fantastic; you can store back down to a USB key and go back to the factory to see what went wrong with a light or why different modules were swapped etc. It’s going to be a great corporate / production tool.
Dave was also impressed by the grandMA2 describing it as brilliant.
“The thing that grabbed me straight away was how comfortable I felt at the console,” he said. “Ergonomically it’s really well designed – it feels cool and comfortable to sit at and you can grab everything you need really quickly. It really is awesome and I can certainly see us purchasing one further down the line!”
MA Lighting’s brand new grandMA2 full-size controls all kinds of lighting genres like conventionals, moving lights, LEDs, video and media. MA Lighting has kept the intuitive grandMA control philosophy, including the same command line and syntax. However, the company has cleaned up, improved and extended the software, and optimized the colours and views. The advanced networking architecture is even more powerful and allows full upward compatibility from the “old” grandMAs, while a ‘Series 1’ mode also allows for full downward compatibility.grandMA2 offers a complete system solution for a wide range of top-end applications, including theatre-style programming or concert touring multi-user programming sessions. grandMA2 also includes fader wings, giving up to 90 faders per console.
“We were privileged to have both Martin and MA Lighting’s support and were honoured to be showing these new, important products to our market so early,” commented Show Technology managing director Emmanuel Ziino. “The Australian market has become a key testing ground and because of the high level of talent we have here, our suppliers recognise the importance of this markets input”
www.showtech.com.au

PLASA08: technology, education and record registrations
The promise of new technologies and applications, and a dramatically expanded educational programme, has helped drive the PLASA Show to its highest-ever pre-registration figures, with a record total of over 10,000 industry professionals already registered to attend.
With the show a year on since its redesign, the one-floor, two-hall layout has been refined and expanded to allow for new and returning exhibitors.
And with new products topping the 'wish list' of the majority of visitors, there's no doubt that PLASA08 will definitely deliver, according to Show Director Nicola Rowland. "There's a real buzz building around the wide range of technologies and expertise on offer at the show and how these can be applied across the industry. It's a unique chance to see how projects are being delivered, how lighting, sound and AV systems are being re-thought around new technologies and how events, productions and architectural installations, are benefiting from innovative developments."
The trend reflects the growth in demand for products which push the boundaries, with a broadening variety of lighting, video display media, networked audio, data and control systems, becoming the new backbones from which the industry is reinventing the way forward.
Also boosting pre-registration is the fact that, for the first time ever, there is no diary overlap with IBC, helping attract major first-time exhibitors to PLASA08, as well as the return of several major audio and lighting manufacturers, while the presence of staging specialists is also expanding.
PLASA08's education programme will see a significant expansion of last year's seminars, along with several exciting new initiatives and partnerships. They build on the organisation's existing relationships with US trade body ESTA - which is hosting an expanded North American Pavilion - alongside pavilions supported by the ISCE and IOA.
With a strong focus on industry technologies, the seminars will address existing and emerging audio, AV and lighting technologies and their applications, and will be hosted by some of the industry's best-known manufacturers and innovators.
Leading the charge is the first ever PLASA Masterclass, hosted by the winner of the inaugural Gottelier Award, Funktion-One co-founder Tony Andrews.
Cirque du Soleil follows last year's standing room-only session with a new presentation on the 'Challenges of Automation', while a second theatre will host a full programme of Special Interest Sessions. Amongst the issues being addressed in this programme are sustainability, with a presentation by London's Arcola Theatre - the world's first carbon neutral theatre - addressing the implementation and use of energy efficient lighting, a Theatres Trust-led session on Display Energy Certificates and a presentation from the team at the National Theatre on its sustainable lighting strategies.
Another session will focus on the increasingly diverse and exciting world of display technologies from small-format interactive to large-format LED, whilst also under discussion will be the new BS8901 (Sustainable Event Management) standard which will re-shape the way events and venues are delivered in the future.
Other leading industry organisations lending their name to the seminar programme include InfoComm, the Institute of Acoustics and a whole series of seminars from Technologies for Worship. All of these sessions will be free to visitors.
In addition, there will be a series of 'fee-based' intensive training sessions delivered by CAST Software on its range of visualisation packages.
In a major development, PLASA08 will also be the industry platform for the official launch of the Mayor of London's Green Theatre Programme, as part of which there will be a special exhibition focusing on climate change initiatives.
A new Industry Skills Zone, sponsored by PLASA Qualifications, will also spotlight skills development in the sector and will feature industry organisations such as the Arts Council, ABTT, the National Student Drama Festival, the Sector Skills Councils and the team from the new National Skills Academy. It will also act as the Information Point for the new National Rigging Certificate and NVQ developments in the audio and AV sectors, all of which have been given momentum by PLASA's recent accreditation as an Awarding Body by the QCA - the first trade association to be recognised in the entertainment, conference, architectural and communications industries.
The team from the National Physical Laboratory - the UK's National Measurement Institute and a world leading centre in developing and applying accurate measurement standards - will also be in attendance as part of a joint initiative with PLASA to develop collaborative ways of working with the industry.
Sunday's DJ events will also feature a DJ programme, supported by KAM, which includes the Drum & Bass Arena vs Forum DJs spin-off - a chance for aspiring DJs to match their talents against the leading names in drum and bass.
With exhibition space close to being fully sold out, half price visitor pre-registration is receiving record hits as visitors take advantage of the 50% discount on entry passes.
New visitor features will include a coffee lounge, extended wi-fi facilities and fully-equipped registration areas at both Earls Court 1 and 2 entrances.
PLASA08 goes live at Earls Court on Sunday 7 September and runs through to Wednesday 10 September 2008. Register now at www.plasashow.com/register

Suncoast AV’s new showroom sparkles with Show Technology products
Click on images to enlarge


Suncoast AV has unveiled their new showroom which is packed to the rafters with fabulous Show Technology supplied gear!
The L-shaped showroom is also equipped with trussing, audio equipment from notable audio companies such as Audio Telex, and projectors from NEC.
Suncoast AV specialise in top quality installation work around the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane with recent projects including The Wharf Tavern at Mooloolaba, The CBD Hotel in Varsity Lakes and The Villa at Noosa. The crew at Suncoast AV back Show Technology products 100% favouring the reliability of their products and the fantastic service provided.
“We could have gone with a local lighting distributor whose products are OK but we find their backup and service not too good,” commented Brad Galgon of Suncoast AV. “Show Technology’s product are truly tried and tested. Their back up support is very good; you can contact them any time of the day and you’re guaranteed to get someone to help you. They also have some really good training days which are very useful.”
The showroom illustrates many fabulous Martin products such as the colourfulEFX effects series (stretching from the 500 to 800), the popular SCX scanner series, high-output smartMACs, and the powerful MX-10 scanners. Also on display are Pro Shop LED Pars and Truss Toners – in fact Suncoast were the first Show Technology partner to receive these spunky little triangular LED toners which Brad describes as fantastic.
Brad is particularly excited by two of Martin’s newer products; the StageBars, which he is hoping to install into Suncoast’s next big project and the smartMAC whose output he explained as very impressive.
“Martin is getting very good at manufacturing lighting that fits well into architectural applications instead of sticking out like the disco-candy gear,” he remarked.
www.showtech.com.au

LSC invests in australian built products
With the current trend of outsourcing product manufacture to Asian countries, Australian Lighting Control System manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems has bucked the trend and invested heavily in expanding manufacturing within its own home market.
LSC’s Managing Director, Gary Pritchard, explains – “Although the perceived financial benefits of manufacturing in Asia are tempting, the stories of inferior quality products and lost Intellectual Property experienced by other companies exploring this option, have convinced us to invest here in Australia. We are very protective of our Intellectual Property (designs) and we pride ourselves on the high quality and enduring products we build. Both of these qualities, we felt, could be at great risk if outsourced to areas that are hard to directly control from Australia.”
To show our customer base that LSC products are indeed “Products of Australia”, the company has recently qualified for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Australian Made” campaign, recognising its commitment to Australian designed and manufactured products. Gary adds “There is much confusion about where products actually come from these days and joining this program was we felt an independent way of confirming that the products we sell are fully manufactured in Australia to our exacting standards. Participation in this program allows us to use the Government owned green and gold kangaroo 'Product of Australia' logo on qualifying products".
LSC recently moved to new purpose built premises – doubling its previous floor space. The manufacturing and warehousing areas have been designed with a more open plan suitable for the Lean Manufacturing principles that company has adopted. Staff numbers have increased by 30% over the last 12 months with recent emphasis on the Sales and Engineering sectors of the company. Further investment in design tools and business management systems have aided in the increased efficiency the company has experienced. Gary adds: “The building was certainly a big factor in LSC’s expansion program, but employing the right staff, designing the right products and delivering what we say we’re going to do, have undoubtedly increased the confidence of our customers in the LSC name. We are proud to be an Australian owned and operated company, building and shipping Australian made products to all corners of the world.”
For more information on the Australia made Campaign please visit www.australianmade.com.au
www.lsclighting.com.au

Church opts for Smart Lighting
Christian City Church Bridgeman Downs is located on Brisbane's northside. It has a dynamic, thriving congregation of 2500 members who regularly pack out the ever-lively auditorium. The time had come to invest in some intelligent lighting for the auditorium and local supplier Brisbane Sound Group recommended the new bright and economical Martin smartMAC.
The smartMAC is a bright 150 W moving head profile luminaire that offers owners a number of benefits: superior reliability, long service intervals, total silence and reduced power bills thanks to a unique fanless cooling system that avoids forcing dust and pollutants into the fixture. The smartMAC kicks out an impressive show of multiple effects and colour as well.
Steve Ryan, the Musical & Technical Director for the Church, is delighted with his six smartMACs which are small on footprint yet big on impact. He has known about Martin’s solid reputation for reliability and with his smartMACs, he’s looking forward to minimal maintenance.
”The fixtures are ideal for us,” commented Steve. “I particularly like their low noise emission which is very important for us. They also have an impressive light output, great gobos and colours which are easy to swap. I also like their smooth running. It’s also great, in today’s climate, that they are efficient with energy consumption. I believe that they are also quick and easy to get at for servicing but of course, we haven’t had to do that as yet!”
www.showtech.com.au

AV magazine available free to AV industry participants
AV - the magazine for audiovisual professionals, is being launched this week by Alchemedia, the publishers of the well-known Venue and Audio Technology magazines. Subscriptions are free to participants in the AV industry.
The first issue contains a wide range of articles including
· the use of video elements in the MTV awards show and Hillsong's 2008 DVD recording session.
· how to chose the right colour temperature correction filter for shooting video screens
· CCP Perth's new IMAG system.
· Using AMX to order coffee.
· the convergence of the AV and IT industries as discussed at InfoComm 2008 in Las Vegas.
To get your copy of the premier issue, go to the AV website www.av.net.au and fill out the online subscription form.

Showtech to Issue Entertainment Industry Red Card
Showtech have announced that they are in the process of becoming registered with Worksafe to be able to issue the Entertainment Industry Red Card, formerly known as "construction induction training"
Showtech will be making a formal announcement soon, but as the requirement for such certification is imminent, they have already begun receiving enquiries about the situation.
In the interim they are taking registrations of interest for the course, and will be emailing details of courses as soon as they become available.
To register your interest send an email to redcard@showtechaustralia.com.au
Please include "RED CARD" in the message subject
and include your
Company name
Your name or contact name
Address
Phone number
E-mail
If you are registering on behalf of a company, please include how many people you wish to enrol.
www.showtechaustralia.com.au

Martin LC Panels a powerful new tool for Resolution X clients
Resolution X is excited to announce the addition of Martin LED LC Panels to their hire department. “It has taken 6 months of market research, but we are excited to add this new product to our inventory,” says Tim Hall.
Being the first to hold hire stock in Melbourne has meant the panels have been extremely busy. They have already been in use on The Logie Awards, Wheel of Fortune, The Footy Show (pictured) and numerous corporate events.
As part of the purchase Resolution X has now added fibre optic DVI links, DVI splitters, LCD monitors, quality DVI cables and all rigging accessories.
“The LC Panels give a powerful new tool to our clients,” added Tim. “The feedback from clients who have used them has been fantastic and I can only see the demand growing for this product.”
www.resolutionx.com.au
www.showtech.com.au

Robe's Digital Roadshow
The latest additions to the Robe family have reached Australian shores and have toured the East Coast in the Robe Digital Roadshow.
Melbourne's famous Robe venue, the Queens Bridge Hotel (QBH) played host to the first leg of the Digital Roadshow on the 3rd and 4th of June, giving both ULA clients and Lighting Designers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new Robe Digital line up. Leading industry figures from all over Victoria came to see the exciting new products first hand and to experiment with products they had never used before.
On show were the exciting new Robe DigitalSpot 3000 DT and the DigitalSpot 7000 DT, which did not disappoint. The attendees were also treated to the Australian debut of the new Robe REDWash 3•192 which utilizes the new Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Also on display was the Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungsten following on from its debut at this years ENTECH.
The Digital Roadshow continued on to ULA's Sydney facility on June 5th. On hand to present these fixtures was Robe's Managing Director, Joseph Valchár, who was overwhelmed and delighted by the level of excitement and positive feedback he received about the Robe products in Australia. "Australia has really embraced Robe" says Josef "and the new DigiSpots really have people's attention!"
The Robe's then travelled on the following week to events at the Gold Coast's Convention Centre on the 11th and Brisbane's Powerhouse Theatre on the 12th. Both events were attended by Queensland's industry leaders who were very impressed by the new Robe Digital products, sparking excited discussion around the room as they got their hands on the fixtures for the first time.
The Robe Digital Roadshow is part of ULA's continual commitment to providing clients with the best products, information and support to help grow their businesses. "It was a great to see the excitement on everyone's faces when they got to really see what these new (Robe) fixtures can do… Overall a fantastic opportunity for everyone who attended" stated Blair Terrace, ULA's National Sales and Marketing Manager.
The new Robe Digital and LED range will be coming into stock over the coming weeks to Robe's exclusive Australian distributor, the ULA Group. For more information or for a chance to book a hands on demonstration of the new Robe products, please call 1300 ULA GROUP : 1300 852 476.
www.ula.com.au

New book - Entertainment In Production
Entertainment Technology Press and writer and lighting programmer & designer Rob Halliday announce the release of two new books, Entertainment In Production 1994-1999, and Entertainment in Production 2000-2006.
Gathering together more than a decade's worth of magazine articles on the production of shows written by Rob Halliday for publications such as Lighting & Sound International, Lighting Dimensions and Total Production, the two books provide a comprehensive record of the creation of some of the biggest shows of the period, looking at the projects, the people behind them and the technology involved and how it has evolved over time.
The books covers all of the 'backstage' elements of the shows, including lighting, sound, staging, automation and more, featuring the work of designers Acme Sound Partners, Francois Bergeron, Ken Billington, Andrew Bridge, Andrew Bruce, Bob Crowley, Jonathan Deans, Bob Dickinson, Michel Crete, William Dudley, Rick Fisher, Paul Groothuis, Wendall Harrington, Mark Henderson, Howard Harrison, David Hersey, Natasha Katz, Luc Lafortune, Nigel Levings, Matt McKenzie, Anne Militello, Tony Meola, John Napier, Nick Ormerod, Chris Parry, Kenneth Posner, Paul Pyant, Mike Walker, Anthony Ward, Patrick Woodroffe and many more.
http://www.etbooks.co.uk

More Martin gear for Group Production Services
As the photo shows, Dave Jackson of Group Production Services is elated with his recently acquired Martin MAC700 profiles and MAC250 Entour washes.
“We purchased the MAC700’s because clients were always specifying them plus we already had MAC500, MAC600 and MAC250 Entour profiles,” he said. “The MAC700’s have a fantastic output, great colour mixing and they’re a handy size. Also, they’re reliability has been great.”
Group Production Service’s MAC700’s have just finished a handful of Queensland dates with the band Cut Copy (pictured) with lighting designed by Anthony Petruzzio. The rig included MAC700’s and MAC600’s as well as some Atomic Strobes plus twelve Martin Stage Bars situated on vertical pipes at the back of the stage.
“The Martin Stage Bars were running in high resolution mode with multiple patterns running through them” explained Dave. “The Stage Bars are awesome in fact we can’t keep enough of them in the factory! It’s the best LED fixture – you can actually light stuff with them. You can have four of them on a stage for side washes and they end up lighting the whole stage.”
Dave is also having fun using his new MAC250 Entours which he describes as great and a fixture that he loves for its punch and nice colours.
www.showtech.com.au

Phaseshift purchase another grandMA
Phaseshift Productions has recently finished a national tour with k.d.lang who was accompanied by the company’s new MA Lighting grandMA Lite console.
Lighting designer Mike Duncan had requested a full size grandMA for control slaved with a grandMA Lite for back up. His rig included eleven Martin MAC700 washes, thirteen MAC700 profiles, two MAC2000 performances, ten conventional profiles and a LED star curtain.
“It was a simple, elegant show,” commented Jeremy Nolan, Phaseshift’s system technician for the tour. “It was tasteful to k.d’s music with some simple yet effective cyc looks.”
Jeremy reports that the grandMA set up ran smoothly with no issues what so ever.
“When we knew that we needed another grandMA we looked at buying another full size console but for our applications, the grandMA Lite was the better option,” he said. “It’s more practical for us as many people run back up consoles these days. Really the grandMA Lite does everything the larger console can but it’s a lot smaller.
“Since acquiring our grandMA Lite is has been on numerous shows, working flat out. It’s a really powerful console that is small so it can fit into many situations especially the corporate work that we do. It’s become a very popular, little desk!”
www.showtech.com.au

TLS Production switch to Martin MAC’s
Perth-based TLS Productions custom design and supply lighting, audio, and visuals for large and small events including concerts, product launches, exhibitions and conferences, award nights, public, private and corporate events.
Their moving light inventory has traditionally been a competitor’s product but finally TLS have seen the light and opted to purchase Martin MAC’s! Last month they took delivery of eight Martin MAC700 fixtures plus eight Martin MAC250 Entours.
Production Manager Guillaume Laurent found clients consistently requesting Martin MAC’s and so, to keep up with technology trends, he raided his piggy bank and finally committed himself.
“The fixtures are great, compact and the price was right,” he added. “The MAC’s do what they’re meant to do. In fact I couldn’t go wrong with the purchase. The MAC700’s are being used for a wide variety of events and I’m really impressed by the quality of light that comes out of them. I’m quite surprised by the variety of looks I’m able to achieve with the MAC700’s, they really are effective.”
“The MAC250 Entour’s were certainly a welcome bonus!” he said. “They’re great for our smaller shows and like the MAC700’s, they’re very compact. When we picked up all sixteen of the MAC’s, I was able to fit them all in one one-ton van which was pretty cool and something I never thought I’d be able to do!”
www.showtech.com.au

Barco Acquires High End Systems Inc.
Barco announces the acquisition of High End Systems, Inc., a global technology provider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls. Based in Austin, Texas, High End Systems employs 156 people and is a profitable company with USD 44 million sales in 2007. With the merging of two strong industry players, this acquisition reinforces Barco’s leadership position in the fast converging video and lighting segments. The total value of the transaction is USD 55 million, which implies an EBITDA multiple of around 8 on the past 12 months. The impact on 2008 EPS is estimated to be about neutral due to the required IFRS restatements.
Eighty percent of High End Systems’ sales are realized in the Events (Rental & Staging) market, which makes it a perfect match for Barco. Today Barco is already the leader in four product areas of this market with its LED video displays, its large venue projectors, Creative LED products and a full range of Image Processing products. High End Systems will be fully integrated into Barco’s Media and Entertainment division.
With the growing convergence of lighting and video technologies, the acquisition of High End Systems is a merger of two strong industry players and as a combined force it will hold a leading position in this converged digital video and lighting space, enabling further growth. This is fully in line with the strategic goal of enlarging Barco’s presence in each of the key markets it is active in.
Stephan Paridaen, President of Barco’s Media and Entertainment division states: “We are proud and excited about joining forces with the leading player in the digital lighting market. High End’s differentiated product line-up and recent product introductions are clearly proof of their market-led vision and strong R&D focus. We look forward to introducing many new and exciting products into the converged lighting/video space together.”
“The acquisition is a great outcome for the employees of High End Systems and we are confident that the combined creativity and customer focus of Barco and High End Systems will deliver superior technology for the global entertainment markets,” said Merritt Belisle, Chairman of High End Systems, Inc.
The acquisition provides Barco also with an additional patent portfolio in the digital lighting market, along with increased distribution channels and product offerings worldwide. The acquisition further strengthens Barco’s position in North America, another strategic goal, and will create an opportunity to strengthen its natural hedging over time as the High End Systems product portfolio will be further rolled out globally.
High End Systems, Inc. was majority owned by Generation Partners, a US private equity firm (www.generation.com).
More details on the acquisition will be provided with 2Q08 results on 23 July 2008.

Entertainment Installations get even more Martin MAC700’s
Entertainment Installations on the NSW Central Coast has increased its ever-growing Martin MAC inventory with the purchase of four more MAC700 profiles taking the total MAC700 tally to sixteen. Having taken advantage of Show Technology’s recent promotion, whereby if you purchased a MAC700 you got a free MAC250 Entour, Neale Mace, managing director of Entertainment Installations is one happy client!
“It was a great value-for-money offer I couldn’t resist!” said Neale. “Our MAC700’s are becoming a regular workhorse on our larger shows. In fact we were running out and needed some more anyway and I don’t think they will be the last ones we buy either!”
Neale describes the MAC700 as an extraordinary light that is reliable, has a fantastic output, great colour mixing, superb effects and zoom capabilities…..what more could a guy want? Neale is also delighted with his bonus MAC250 Entours which he finds ideal for the corporate and smaller size shows.
Entertainment Installations currently have a total of sixty-four Martin MAC’s including MAC700 Profile, MAC250 Entour, MAC250 Wash and Martin TW1’s.
Four recent concerts that relied on the MAC700s for the majority of their lighting were Sebastian Bach who utilized 8 x MAC700, 8 x Martin TW-1, and 4 x Martin Atomic Strobes whilst Whitesnake had 8 x MAC700, 4 x Studio Due CS4 and 8 x Martin TW-1. Sonu Niigaam used 12 x MAC700 and Porcupine Tree (pictured) had 8 x MAC700 profiles.
Eight MAC700, as well as some TW1’s, go on tour this week with Shannon Noll. Bryce Mace has designed the lighting which will travel in style in Entertainment Installation’s new truck.
www.showtech.com.au

Innovative keep innovative with Martin
Innovative Production Services has increased its inventory with some innovative products; four Martin MAC TW1, four MAC700 profiles, four MAC250 Entours and eight Martin Stagebar 54Ls.
Jeremy Koch, Innovatives’ managing director has a strong theatrical background as does one of his lighting employees Alex Grierson and so they were both drawn to the TW1.
“Alex has a lot of passion and theatricality in his design and we were looking for something new and different for him,” commented Jeremy. “We needed a product that was not only cost-effective and lightweight, but also it needed to have a certain level of market acceptance. This was our first major moving light purchase and we needed to be confident that our first step into the market was going to be a good decision and have a positive return on investment.
“We found the TW1’s to be nothing short of amazing. We lit a gig at the Hordern Pavilion and the front wash of the entire stage was done by just four MAC TW1 fixtures. They’re extremely bright, extremely quiet – in fact they’re awesome!”
Innovative recently took advantage of one of Show Technology’s fabulous deals – Buy a MAC700 profile and get a MAC250 Entour for free! This deal came at exactly the right time for Innovative who required a fixture that was small and light for their smaller jobs but at the same time, as they are doing so many larger jobs these days, a light that would satisfy the requirements of these larger shows and the MAC250 Entours were just not bright enough.
“We couldn’t find one light that was ticking all of these boxes but once this deal came up we saw it as a great opportunity!” he said. “The MAC700’s satisfy are larger jobs whilst the MAC250 Entours are deal for the smaller productions. Both lights are fabulous and ideal for their required applications.”
Jeremy continued spending with the purchase of eight Martin Stagebar 54L LED luminaires to initially meet his needs for some ‘eye candy’ that was too expensive.
“The colours that come out of the Stagebars are just stunning,” he said. “The white and the amber LEDs make such a difference. Once we started to use the Stagebars properly I realised that they weren’t just eye candy and that you could quite satisfactorily light a stage with them, from a performance perspective. I think they’re really the first LED product on the market that allows you to use it as a light rather than just an effect”.
www.showtech.com.au

Judith Wright’s grandMA is just dandy
Brisbane’s Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts is a cutting-edge centre which incorporates a 300-seat performance space, modern art gallery, artist studios, a screening room, purpose built administration and storage facilities, workshops and theatre, music, dance and circus rehearsal spaces. The Centre prides itself on being able to offer the latest in lighting and sound technology and so it’s no wonder that their most recent acquisition was a MA Lighting grandMA Lite lighting console plus a grandMA NSP, grandMA Video Server and a PDA Wireless Kit.
The time had come to replace the Centre’s aging ETC Express 250 and so Senior Technician Keith Clark began a search for the ideal console.
“I was looking for a console that made control of moving lights easy as well as conventionals as we have a fairly large conventional rig,” he said. “It needed to be able to handle both types of lighting in an easy manner for live purposes, which is about 60% of the work that we do. The other 40% is plotted in a similar way to theatre shows. Really there weren’t that many options on the market that already had proven industry experience. There were other consoles that we were interested in but we felt they were too young in their life span or were heading down a path we were not suited too.”
Keith was determined that his Centre was not going to be used as a guinea pig by trialing newer consoles available and the fact that Brisbane already has several grandMA’s in various venues certainly helped him make his decision.
“The Powerhouse and QPAC both have grandMA’s which is useful for when we have to find extra crew,” he commented. “It’s really handy that so many lighting operators in Brisbane are familiar with the grandMA platform.”
The lighting control set up consists of a grandMA Lite control console running into a hub which in turn runs off to the grandMA NSP, a grandMA Video Server and to a PDA plus a production desk laptop.
“With a plotted show we use the laptop as a backup,” added Keith. “We went with the grandMA Lite rather than the full size grandMA just because of size really. As a live console controlling movers it’s nice and easy to use whilst as a plotting console there’s a lot of stuff you can do with it although it is a bit of a step up for programmers to come to grips with. Most of our production work is only done in this venue and won’t be played elsewhere so we can be very specific in our plotting.”
At the same time the Centre also took delivery six Martin MAC TW1 moving tungsten fixtures which he describes as outstanding.
“Their colour mix is really nice, they’re very quiet and they just fit nicely into this venue,” said Keith. “As this venue is quite small with little room reverb any noise made can be really heard consequently for un-amplified or low amplification events the TW1’s work well. Considering the features that they offer, the TW1’s are also quite small. The mechanical dowsers on them are good although we’re running internal dimmers.”
www.showtech.com.au

Sing Hallelujah for the Martin MAC TW1!
Handel’s triumphant Hallelujah chorus provided the first musical notes to be heard in the newest addition to Melbourne’s cultural infrastructure, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, which was lit for the first time recently at Melbourne Recital Centre at Southbank. 
A significant project of the Victorian Government, through Arts Victoria and Major Projects Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre is scheduled to open to the public in the first quarter of 2009.
Lighting this prestigious event was Paul Jackson who chose Clearlight Shows to supply, install and operate the lighting for the reveal on March 26th of the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. John McKissock, Clearlight’s managing director, recommended his recently acquired Martin MAC TW1 tungsten moving lights for the event.
“I can say I love the TW1 and everyone that has used them has the same response,” he commented.
“I needed a fixture with high colour rendering in a tungsten format,” added Paul. “It also needed a good colour mix that had a really good fade curve on it. Because we were revealing the roof of the Recital Hall we needed to come up out of black very gradually, smoothly and evenly with complete control. We also needed a fixture that was very, very quiet given the acoustic context we were in.
“I thought the TW1’s were excellent. I wasn’t using them as a moving fixture rather as a colour wash unit. I’ve never worked with a tungsten-based, moving head unit as punchy or as clean as the TW1.”
As well as the twelve Martin MAC TW1 fixtures Paul used one Martin MAC700, twelve Pixel Par 90, two Selecon 5.5-13 Pacifics, twelve Selecon 14-35 Pacifics and eight 2kw Selecon Fresnels. All was controlled with the Clealright’s new Zero 88 LeapFrog 96.
Now just past the half-way mark in its construction, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is the centrepiece of the purpose-built Melbourne Recital Centre. Destined to become home to Melbourne fine music when it opens, it is a 1000-seat modified shoebox-shaped hall based on the classic proportions of the Vienna Musikvereinsaal.  It is named in honour of Victoria’s most generous and longest serving philanthropist, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, in recognition of her legacy, and to pay homage to her passion for music and for nurturing Australia’s finest young artists.
www.showtech.com.au

HES Debuts On-Line Training Centre
High End Systems announces the release of a new on-line Training Centre. This special portion of the HES website is dedicated to training resources, including new videos and tutorials with specific information about Wholehog consoles, digital lighting products and new automated luminaires. Users can quickly navigate through the information or view short training videos for in-depth tutorials on many topics.
Schedules for training sessions on automated and digital lighting fixtures as well as Wholehog consoles have also been expanded to meet the demand and help eliminate the waiting list. A new Wholehog training date just added to the year-long schedule is June 24-25 in Austin, TX.
“We’re really excited to debut the new online Training Center,” says Cat West, HES Console Training Specialist. “Our goal was to have a place where our users could not only find information about our training classes, but also learn more about the products through videos and online tutorials. The best part is that these new resources are available free of charge, at any time, to anyone with an Internet connection. We’ll be adding more videos and tutorials to our Training Center in the weeks and months to come.”
The Training Center is available through links on the HES website under Support or directly at http://training.highend.com

Artistic Licence celebrates 20 Years
Artistic Licence has been celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, marking the time during which the company has evolved from its rock 'n' roll origins into a company focused on architectural lighting and installations, whilst simultaneously developing its international presence.
Talking to Robert Bell in 2004 for his book Let There Be Light, managing director Wayne Howell says: " I take the company name quite seriously. Lateral thinking is the most important part of a design . . . (in addition) you make it as future proof and reusable as you can."By focusing on the two halves of the company - product development and project design & installation - Howell has developed a product range which can be taken both as total solutions or as components for incorporation into individual designs.
Feedback has always been of prime importance to Artistic Licence's work. "It's not just RDM and Art-Net that offers two-way communication," states Howell. It is the attendance at tradeshows and the feedback derived from clients, the involvement in industry trends and the direct work on installations and projects which keep the refresh rate of product development high at Artistic Licence, says the company.
Recently Nich Smith approached Artistic Licence when lighting the John Murray Archive in Edinburgh. Using Candle-Power LED dimmers for the showcase lighting, Smith specified the Candle-Power dimmers for their ability to control both 1W and 3W LED fixtures in the same enclosure.
"It was particularly satisfying to provide these dimmers," says Howell, "since we had just launched the product when the project came up. The timing was ideal and provided the first sale for us."
The celebrations for Artistic Licence's 20th anniversary are to be followed by the launch of Artistic Licence Asia. Headed by Simon Fraser, the new company will build upon the earlier success of the existing sales office, taking Artistic Licence project and product solutions to a wider audience in the Middle East & Asian architectural markets.
The company has evolved from a long business relationship with Fraser of Ptarmigan Consulting. "We took a couple of years to assess the market potential and to work out how we could work together," says Howell. "We have now decided it is time to make it official and are very excited to be launching the company in Asia this month. Simon and I have a very similar, no nonsense, approach to business and the Hong Kong operation will be run in along similar lines to Artistic Licence in the UK."
www.artisticlicence.com
Australian Distributor: Balanced Technology www.balancedtech.com.au

ResX takes tungsten loaded MAC’s
Resolution X has taken its first delivery of Martin MAC TW1 80V wash fixtures. Already in service, the MAC’s have hardly stopped working since arriving.
“We’re excited to have them as everyone seems to want them!” states Russell Brebner, Production Services Manager at ResX (pictured). ”They are big, bright and have great colour mix - perfect for stage washing.”
Liz Beedle, ResX’s head of moving lights, has been amazed at the number of people who have stopped when the TW1’s are being prepped.
“No-one can believe they are actually running – there is no noise!” she said.
“The TW1’s compliment our already large MAC700 profile and wash inventory,” added ResX director Tim Hall. “They also sit well with our VL500’s. I look forward to seeing the TW1’s in action as we already have TV, Opera and Theatre enquires for the units.”
www.showtech.com.au

The Land of the Long White Cloud gets Mistier
New Zealand is already known as the land of the long white cloud and now it’s even mistier with the recent arrival of the Look Solutions Unique 2 hazer!
Auckland hire company Oceania Lighting recently took delivery of two Unique 2 haze machines and Simon Garrett, director, claims that he is now a 100% convert to these powerful machines.
“The Unique 2 hazer is the best that we have ever run in hire in terms of low noise, output, reliability and control,” he remarked. “I‘ve tried lots of hazers and apart from our oil based crackers, had constant reliability problems. I‘ve got no complaints about our Unique 2 units.
I really needed a powerful water based option to look after singers for obvious reasons as well as the new generation data projectors as the AV boys were insisting on no haze.
“Control is reasonably intuitive and we like the Unique 2’s independent, variable adjustment of pump and fan combined with almost real time adjustment from the console. I was also knocked out by the sheer volume of haze they produce when maxed out - two units can do the deed in an arena. The features taken for granted like its higher volume fan, built-in timer and air filtration, have made our Unique 2 an instant request item and popular migrant to the country.”
Pictured are the Unique 2’s effortlessly providing plenty of atmospherics for Kiwi rock band Pluto.
www.showtech.com.au

Robert Juliat Super Korrigans are Gold
Robert Juliat follow spots are famous for their superb mechanical design and are in keeping with the company's well-earned reputation for renowned optical design. The Super Korrigan is a replacement for the 1200W HMI Korrigan followspot. It incorporates a new double-condenser optical system that produces 25% more light than the older model.
Last year, the Gold Coast Arts Centre invested in a couple of the world-famous Robert Juliat Super Korrigan followspots and the venue’s lighting crew is still over the moon with the purchase!
"Compared to other followspots on the market we found the Korrigans to be uniquely compact and light,” remarked Russell Jones, senior lighting technician at GCAC. “The crew thinks the Super Korrigans are great and everyone loves them. We love their output, the smooth operating of the iris and the fact that we’ve got the DMX models too. The way that the sliders work is fantastic. Externally, the follow spots are not very hot either so there’s not much of a burn factor.”
Russell further commented that the followspots are easy to maintain, they are very user-friendly, and they are extremely easy to use for the followspot operator.
The Gold Coast Arts Centre is one of the country’s busiest hosting a wide variety of productions from in-house musicals to comedy acts and many touring shows. Russell reports that the Super Korrigan followspots are a guaranteed hit with the touring crews who continually rave about their brightness.
Standard features of the Super Korrigan include flat field, hot re-strike, a fully closing iris in a removable cassette, a 100% closing dimming shutter (a DMX-dimming shutter is optional), and a six-frame colour changer that incorporates the popular fingertip shutter controls that were first introduced in the Topaze/Manon models. There are two types of colour changers available. The Super Korrigan comes with a boomerang, but there is an optional push/pull, which is the silent-acting, side-mounted colour changer.
The Super Korrigan comes standard with an A-size gobo holder, removable gel frames, frost, lamp access panels with kill switch, modular reflector and condenser lens assemblies, hinged barrel cover for ease of maintenance, and a large ergonomic wraparound handle. The unit is well-balanced and easily moves on the tripod.
Photographed is Alex Fox, GCAC’s head follow spot operator with Russell Jones (wearing glasses).
www.showtech.com.au

Rockhampton’s Pilbeam Theatre upgrades with an ETC Eos
There has been a history of ETC consoles residing at Rockhampton’s Pilbeam Theatre and so it was no surprise that an Eos was recently purchased to keep the venue up to date with technology.
Laurie Clarke, the theatre’s Senior Technician, still had a good look on the market to see what other lighting manufacturers could offer but nothing else could tempt him.
”Previously we had been using an ETC Obsession II but it was time to upgrade,” commented Laurie. “After researching what’s available we decided that the ETC Eos best suited our needs. The fact that it has basically the same syntax as the Obsession means that our casual pool of operators can use it quite easily. Familiarity and comfort were factors in the purchase.”
Laurie has discovered that the Eos is a console that an experienced operator or a novice would be able to operate in no time at all.
”It’s easier to set up than other consoles and certainly easier to use,” he said. “All of the staff rave about the Eos. It has a really good user interface, with the touch screens and faders well laid out. In fact I really like the touch screens and the way that the moving light portion of it works. It makes control of our moving lights fast and simple. It’s fantastic at handling mixed lighting rigs with neither moving lights nor conventionals more important than the other.”
www.jands.com.au

SCEC adds more grandMA’s to inventory
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has added two more MA Lighting grandMA Lite consoles to their inventory which already has a full size grandMA and a couple of grandMA Ultra Lite consoles. Pictured is SCEC lighting staff undergoing comprehensive training on their grandMA’s.
The grandMA consoles were chosen for a variety of reasons; their famous user interface, their power with either moving or conventional fixtures, the ease of accessing attributes, they’re quick to learn and superior engineering.
“Basically they are just so user friendly,” stated Paul Davison, SCEC’s Manager of Audio Visual Services. “That’s really important when you have so many operators. Also the service and back up from Show Technology is second to none.”
The Centre also purchased twenty-four more Martin MAC250 Entour moving head fixtures to bring the grand total to a huge one hundred and twenty-four Entours.
“The Entours are ideal for the rooms which we use them in,” said Paul Davison, SCEC’s. “Their light output, physical size and functionality make them a perfect package. They’re also rock solid reliable.”
www.showtech.com.au

Robe Launches Six Products at Prolight + Sound
Robe Lighting launched six major new products at Prolight+Sound 2008, and again enjoyed a very busy show which also highlighted all the principal existing products from Robe and Anolis.
The new products included the DigitalSpot 3000 DT, which combines an LED-based wash light with a digital moving light projector. The fixture emits 2,700 ANSI lumens from a single 200W projection lamp and has a contrast ratio of 2,000:1, which is now available in an affordable and compact package featuring an additional REDWash Module from Robe's RED (Robe Emitted Diodes) Series.
Also new is the DigitalSpot 7000 DT, ROBE's new flagship digital moving light projector, based on LCD technology. The fixture emits 6,500 ANSI lumens from a single 330W projection lamp and is loaded with new and exciting parameters from its graphics engine and motorized fixture layout.
The new DreamBox is a multi-functional tool box with two DMX ports and one USB 2.0 port that communicates with a PC or laptop via USB. With additional ROBE software, the DreamBox provides fixture software updates, DMX Control and RDM (Remote Device Management) - new control protocol featuring AutoPatch and Fixture Status Monitoring.
Robe took Frankfurt as the opportunity to launch its new RED (Robe Emitted Diodes) Series of fixtures. The first of these is the REDWash 3•192, a new moving head wash light, providing a rectangular light field with a narrow beam spread. This fixture offers a fresh approach to concert touring, TV, and event lighting applications, the company says.
The REDPar 3•84 is an LED-based PAR lighting fixture which comes with a standard beam angle of 12 degrees, plus 25- or 45-degree options. Its silent operation makes it an ideal tool for schools, smaller theatres, events of all types and club installs.
REDLine 3•48 is a linear LED lighting fixture in Robe's RED Technology Series, providing 48 powered Luxeon Rebel LEDs in a linear configuration.
Robe also launched three new power supplies in the RED Series - the REDPower 1•144, the REDPower 1•72 and the REDPower 1•36.
Josef Valchar of Robe, comments, "As always Prolight had a real buzz to it and proved a great opportunity to catch up with many of our distributors, customers and friends from around the industry."
www.robe.cz
www.ula.com.au

Studio Due CS4's for Rooty Hill RSL
When Craig Sandstrom, lighting technician at Rooty Hill RSL, first saw the marketing material for the Studio Due CS4, he developed a keen interest in the product.
After hiring two units to try out on a number of shows, the club then decided to invest in the purchase of four units.
Each CS4 unit consists of a bank of four moveable shortcans, each fitted with a 250w ray lamp.
“It is a very impressive fixture which can provide stabs of white through coloured wash stage lighting,” he explained. “Being able to move each can in various pan/tilt modes, as well as controlling movement and intensity using our consoles on board effects engine can create some really nice effects.
“Furthermore, you can add colour filters to the CS4’s,  as they have a gel frame which can be unscrewed, adding another dimension to their potential usage - mind you, the basic tungsten white is a classic look in itself.”
The CS4 moving fixtures are primarily used in the club’s Tivoli Showroom, a 630 seat auditorium highly regarded over many years for hosting live entertainment and providing quality production facilities.
Pictured are the four CS4’s in use at Rooty Hill RSL during a recent Doc Neeson’s Angels concert where two of the units were stood vertically on base plates towards the front/side of stage, whilst another two units were hung horizontally and low from some global trussing, rear of stage.
“Funnily enough, we left them up one weekend after a high-energy rock show”, said Craig. “The show the following night featured an internationally recognised Irish singer, who brought her own sound and lighting crew with her. When her lighting designer saw the CS4’s, he was keen to use them.
“Even though it wasn’t a rock gig, he used them very effectively in a lattice- type formation at the rear of the stage. It looked really nice as a permanent static crossing of lights behind the artists. I wouldn’t have imagined that the CS4’s would work in that situation, but they did.”
Craig has found that many visiting lighting crew are impressed by the CS4’s, and the fact that Rooty Hill RSL has had the forethought to add some to their inventory.
www.showtech.com.au

Mackay Entertainment Centre choose Robert Juliat
Towards the end of last year Mackay Entertainment Centre took delivery of a two Robert Juliat Topaze 1200W discharge follow spots.
Mackay Entertainment Centre Technical Department has proven itself to be one of the leaders in excellence in Queensland regional venues accommodating hundreds of performances/functions every year. The Entertainment Centre has a professional team of audio, lighting and stage technicians experienced in a comprehensive array of state of the art production technology. 
Shane Lomman, Head of the Lighting Department, had previously been working at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre where Robert Juliat Topaze follow spots were used and he had been hugely impressed by them.
“Mackay Entertainment Centre was using twelve-year old Selecon Performer follow spots when we got the budget to upgrade,” explained Shane. “Although I knew how great the Robert Juliat follow spots were, I still did the rounds to see what other suppliers and manufacturers had. However, in the end I couldn’t be swayed past the Robert Juliat fixtures and all the staff is thrilled by them.
“I personally like the internal frost arrangement and the dowser is very exciting to me; the rotary bar on the front control point is just perfect. You don’t have to take your hands off of the device to turn them on and off.”
Shane adds that the main selling point of the Topaze follow spots is their sensational light output and fantastic optics. The fact that the Topaze follow spots are considerably smaller than the Performer follow spots that they replaced was a welcome bonus.
”Because of where the Performer follow spots had to be positioned and the fact that they are such large units, a good proportion of the operator’s view of the stage would be obscured,” he reported. “Whereas with the Topaze units you can see around, over and under them so you have a better picture of the whole stage.
“The Topaze follow spots also pan and tilt really nicely in fact, all of the people who have operated them here have nothing but praise for them.”
www.showtech.com.au

Entertainment Installations purchase Martin Stagebar 54S LED fixtures
Entertainment Installations has purchased eight of the dynamic, new Martin Stagebar 54S LED fixtures. With their comprehensive colour range, all-in-one simplicity and tough temperament for the touring market, the Stagebar54 is fast becoming a popular choice among the professional lighting designers.
Show Technology’s Andrew Winslade demonstrated the new LED fixtures to the Entertainment Installations crew who were amazed by their brightness as well the versatility. Probably the most impressive feature Stagebar54 that was commented on was the colour rendering says Andrew.  There were a lot of ‘wow’ moments during the demonstration.
“They also have some really good features such as auto-addressing and they talk to each other through the Cat-5 cables,” commented Bryce Mace. “The colours are great and they are just so bright!”
Bryce Mace recently used the Stagebars at a gig for MySpace (pictured) on Cockatoo Island that featured Van She and Cut Copy. The fact that the Stagebar54 has comes complete with an adjustable floor stand as part of the fixture made them ideal in this application to be placed on the stage floor, mid-stage and pointing towards the audience in order to silhouette the bands.
“They provided a nice, punchy wash of colour and really cut through the rest of the lighting that I was using,” said Bryce. “I am really looking forward to using them on many of the different bands we get to work with. I haven’t rigged them on a truss yet but I’d like to in the near future.”
Whilst Bryce has had experience using the Stagebar54 for floodlighting surfaces and stages, he is no doubt looking forward to using them as a pixel bar for displaying imagery and video.
As well as the eight Stagebars, Bryce used six Pro Shop LED Honeycomb fixtures, Martin MAC250 Entours and MAC700 profiles.
www.showtech.com.au